Do you or do you know of someone that is working in an environment where hand washing is a must? Did you know that in doing so the risk of developing contact dermatitis is likely? I found this to be interesting especially with health care workers since one would think that hand washing is the best for prevention of germs, however the potential of developing dermatitis is still there.
Are health care workers at an increased risk of developing contact dermatitis due to frequent hand washing? According to Wikipedia.org, contact dermatitis is a term for a skin reaction resulting from exposure to allergens (allergic contact dermatitis) or irritants (irritant contact dermatitis). It is a common skin condition causing redness, itching, and a burning sensation due to exposure of a substance on the skin. And according to a study from the University Hospital Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio frequent hand washing by health care workers may actually be counterproductive, causing contact dermatitis.
The study was based on 111 health care workers in which 58% developed contact dermatitis with hand soap, but when using an alcohol based solution there was no association with contact dermatitis. All the health care workers were asked to fill out a questionnaire about personal medical and family histories including any previous history of allergies. Read More About Contact Dermatitis
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